Mr Celebrity
by Dior Crystal
Summary: "His songs are too noisy, and he can't even sing," she said vehemently, not knowing that she was telling this to the celebrity himself. AU. D86.


"That was another great show you did, Mr. Cavallone!" Romario said as he clapped his hand on Dino's shoulder. "It really was nice of you to sing for your fans just now."

"Thanks." Dino grinned happily. He smelled the bouquet of flowers that he had just gotten; it was a mix of daisies and forget-me-nots. He sighed in contentment. It was things like this that made him feel that his work was appreciated. "It really was nice of that woman to give this to me."

Romario looked at Dino, amused. The man had a beanie pulled over his head and was wearing a pair of sunglasses in an attempt to obscure his looks; Dino did not want to get mobbed by a bunch of fangirls again. "Well, of course. She _is_ a fan of yours."

Dino only laughed.

* * *

Haru Miura sank onto the bench miserably, tears already spilling out of her chocolate-coloured eyes. She could not believe it. Kyoko only asked for one thing, only one thing from her and she could not even give it. And why? Because she was too stupid to even do anything right. Haru groaned, covering her face with her hands. This was unbelievable.

She could not believe that she had actually missed the small autographing session of that celebrity Kyoko absolutely adored, Dino Cavallone.

She knew that Kyoko was crazy about him if the way Kyoko kept talking about him and playing his music on repeat for weeks before his arrival here was any indication. She knew how much getting his autograph meant to her. She knew how much it broke Kyoko's heart that her mother did not allow her to go there because she was down with a fever. She knew that when Kyoko had asked her to do this favour for her, that it really meant a lot to her and that it would break her heart even more if Haru did not come through. And Haru did not want to see a person as kind as Kyoko Sasagawa sad. Even though Haru knew all of this, she _still_ could not get the time of the autographing session right.

Haru never felt so useless in her entire life.

She couldn't even do one thing right.

* * *

Dino and Romario were walking through the park to get to Dino's limousine that was parked nearby. Dino closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air as he enjoyed the walk. This was nice. Overall, today was a great day. The autographing session went well, the fans were well-behaved so he did not get mobbed, he had received a few gifts and a bouquet of flowers, it was a sunny day, the birds were singing, the sky was blue, and there was a teenaged girl crying as she sat on the bench...

Wait.

What?

Dino took a few steps backwards and did a double-take.

Sure enough, he was not seeing things. There, sitting on a bench was a brown-haired girl crying her eyes out. She looked down right miserable. The sight alone was enough to tug at Dino's heart. He hated seeing girls cry.

Seeing the look on his employer's face, Romario said, "Umm... Mr. Cavallone?"

"Wait for a minute. I have to talk to someone," was Dino's reply.

Romario sighed, knowing that he could not change Dino's mind. "Very well, then. Don't take too long, though. You have a meeting with that reporter you have to go to."

Dino waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"It's fine. Don't be such a worry wort, Romario. This will only take awhile."

With that said, Dino took off his sunglasses. He approached the crying girl slowly, still unsure of what to do, with Romario watching them a few feet away. She did not seem to notice Dino's presence yet; she was too occupied with her emotions. As he got closer, he noticed that she was quite cute. She had her thick, brown hair tied up in a ponytail so he was able to see her expression clearly. Brown eyes were brimming with tears, but no matter how many times she reached up to wipe her tears away, more would come, brimming in her eyes, and tumbling down her cheeks. Dino gulped, not entirely sure of what to do.

_Well, here goes nothing..._

"Hey," he said softly.

Though his voice was soft, it was enough to bring the teenager out of her own world. "Hahi?" she exclaimed, looking at him in surprise. "Who are you?"

"Ehh..." Dino sweatdropped. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to surprise you," he said apologetically.

The girl wiped her tears away hurriedly. "It's okay," she sniffed. "Just don't sneak up on Haru like that again."

And just like before, even though she wiped her tears away, even more came tumbling down her cheeks silently. She looked away and fixed her gaze on her clenched fists on her lap. She made no sign of wanting to talk to Dino again.

_Haru?_ Dino thought as he regarded her. _That must be her name_.

"Miss... Haru?" Dino said carefully, not wanting to upset her even more. "I'm sorry for asking, but what is wrong?"

Silence.

"If you'd like, I can help you. Or I can just listen. I heard that just talking about your problem can help you feel better," Dino tried again.

Still no response. The girl did not even make to look at him.

The blonde sighed. Well, it was worth a try, but there was no way he could help someone that did not want any. And the fact that he was a total stranger to her probably did not help matters either. Dino was about to stand up and leave the bench that he was sitting on when the girl suddenly spoke, her voice tiny.

"Haru disappointed her friend," she said, her voice shaking.

Dino stopped, turning back to look at her in surprise. "How?" he asked.

Haru took out a handkerchief to dab away the remaining tears on her face. "Haru couldn't keep her promise to her."

Promise?

"Well," Dino said carefully. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Haru shook her head. "It's too late. He's gone already. Haru can't get his autograph."

Dino furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Who is gone?"

She looked at him as though he was stupid. "That singer, Dino, of course! Dino Cavallone."

Ignoring the odd look on the blonde man's face, Haru pocketed her handkerchief. Honestly, who else could she have been talking about? Though she did not know how Dino Cavallone looked like, even _she_ knew that he was here in Japan especially since everyone was so hyped up about it for reasons beyond her own understanding. God knows how many times she had to listen to his songs being played on repeat every single day. Even just thinking about it annoyed her.

"Dino Cavallone?" the man repeated. "That singer?"

"Yes. I-"

"It just so happens that-"

"-hate him."

"Eh?"

"You heard me," Haru said, glaring up at him. "Haru hates him." She clenched her fists. "His songs are too noisy, and he can't even _sing_," she said vehemently, not knowing that she was telling this to the celebrity himself.

"E-EH?" Dino blinked at her. This was the first time anyone had told him straight to his face that he had a terrible singing voice. He was used to getting praise from his fans, so hearing this point of view was certainly new to him. "Well, I-"

"Haru doesn't understand why he is so popular-"

"Uhh..."

"Or why everyone is so crazy over him-"

"Well..."

"To Haru, he is extremely overrated."

"Hey!" Dino began, starting to feel irritated. "That isn't-"

"But still," Haru said, her voice breaking again, "Even though Haru doesn't like him, Kyoko likes him very very much. Kyoko is sick now and Haru promised to get his autograph for her." Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to hold back her tears again. "Haru promised," she added quietly.

Dino's eyes softened. "Ahh..." he said, understanding the situation a bit more now. He hesitated. Well, even though she did not like him, and apparently did not know that she had just insulted him, it could not hurt to help her out, right? He looked at the bouquet of flowers in his hand, then plucked a single daisy before giving it to her. "Here, you can have this," he said, smiling at her kindly. Maybe this would cheer her up. "Don't worry, you don't have to pay for it."

Well, that worked, because the faintest hint of a smile appeared on her lips as she held the flower in her hands.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Hey, listen, I-"

"Is that guy your boyfriend?" Haru suddenly said.

Dino stared at her. "What?"

"That guy." Haru pointed at a spot several feet away from them. Hazel eyes followed the direction she was pointing at and his gaze landed on an all too familiar person. "He has been looking at you since we started talking."

"Wh-WHAT?" Dino spluttered, his face turning red. "Romario is not- he is not- he's my _bodyguard _not my boyfriend!"

"Oh."

Dino sighed, running his hand through his golden locks. Really, now.

"Well, Haru better go now," the brown-haired girl said, getting up from the bench. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but thank you very much for listening to Haru and for the flower." She smiled at Dino brightly, taking the blonde aback. A faint pink colour rose to his cheeks. She looked really cute when she smiled. "Haru would like to talk to you more, but it's getting dark. It's time to go back now. Haru is sleeping over at Kyoko's house."

Just then, something struck Dino. He could not just let her go back home empty-handed.

"Ah, wait!" Dino reached out and grabbed her wrist. Brown eyes looked at him questioningly, curious. "Ah..." He let go of her wrist, suddenly feeling awkward. The blush on his cheeks intensified at how brazen he was to reach out like that. "L-let me walk you home," he offered. "It's getting dark, and a girl like you shouldn't walk home alone."

Haru's eyes softened. She smiled at his offer. "Thank you," she said. And Dino thought that that was it, when she suddenly glared at him. "But if you dare harm Haru, Haru will beat you up!"

Wow... So scary...

But nonetheless, Dino grinned right back at her. "I won't," he promised.

* * *

The walk to her friend's house, Kyoko, was a pleasant one. Haru was quite talkative, just like him, once he managed to get her out of her bad mood. The air was filled with their constant chatter and laughter, and best of all? Haru was all smiles. Dino could not help smiling himself as he listened to her chatter away about all of the costumes that she planned on making for her school play. She really reminded him of himself.

They had chosen to walk since Haru refused to go in the limousine, saying that she was too shy to do so. So Romario drove, following them from behind. Luckily, the road was not busy at all, otherwise, he would have been honked at.

However, as much as Dino would have liked for his conversation with Haru to go on, all good things must come to an end. And it came to an end when Haru suddenly stopped in front of a modest looking house. Hazel eyes looked it over, taking in its white-painted walls and tidy garden. This must be her friend's house. He fell silent as he walked her to the door.

"Well." Haru turned to look at him, her cheeks pink. "This is goodbye?"

"Yes, yes it is," he said. "It was nice meeting you."

Just as she reached out to press the doorbell, she looked at him from over her shoulder. "Goodbye then, Mr...?"

"Oh!" He had not told her his name yet, and he was not sure if he wanted to. "Just call me D." He laughed nervously. "Just D." When she turned to press the doorbell, Dino suddenly remembered something. "W-wait! I forgot something! Wait here."

"You forgot wha-" Haru turned around once more only to see the blonde man's retreating back. He jogged towards his limousine and opened the door. It appeared that he was taking a few things from it before scribbling on them. When he was done, he came back with several items in his arms. He placed them into Haru's outstretched arms. "Here you go. This is for your friend, Kyoko."

"Haa...?" Haru said, confused. She looked down at the items in her arms. There were a couple of shirts, rolled up posters and photo frames. What pictures the photo frames contained, though, she did not know because they were facing down. "What are these for?"

"Hmm? These?"

Haru nodded.

"These are autographed stuff from Dino Cavallone, of course!" Dino said brightly.

"Hahi?" Haru exclaimed. She looked at the items in her arms, then at him, then at the items again and then back at him in disbelief. "Really? B-but... How did you get these?" she said in wonder.

"From the man himself, of course!"

"But... So many... Where-"

"Haru, you're back! Did you-" The girl who had opened the door immediately stopped talking the moment she laid eyes on Dino.

"Oh, Kyoko!" Haru said happily. She nodded at Dino. "This nice man is D. He walked me home and gave me these."

"Hello," Dino said, smiling. He held out his hand. "So you are Kyoko. Haru talked a lot about you."

Kyoko turned red. "I... I..." she managed to stutter out before falling silent.

"Well, I hope you'll like the presents, Kyoko. I got them just for you," Dino said kindly, making the blush on her face darken. Just then, he looked at his watch. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a meeting to go to." He smiled at them apologetically. "Perhaps some other time?"

"Hahi?" Haru said. "You can't even stay for awhile for a drink or-"

Dino shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I can't. But-" He fished for something in his pocket. When he found it, he pulled it out and handed it to Haru "-Here's my card. You can call me anytime you want, Haru. I'll be in Japan for a few days, so we can definitely meet again." He looked at the limousine, and saw Romario standing in front of it, tapping at his watch impatiently. Dino looked back at a confused Haru and flashed her another smile. "Well, I've got to go. I'll see you around, alright?"

"Okay, then! Haru will definitely call you!" Haru chirped. She waved at him as he turned on his heel and walked towards his limousine. "Take care, D.!" Once he was out of earshot, Haru whispered to Kyoko, "Isn't he cute? Haru will definitely call him! How lucky!"

"Haru!" Kyoko tugged at her friend's sleeve.

Haru tilted her head, looking at her light-haired friend curiously. "Hmm?"

"Do you even know who that is?" Kyoko whispered excitedly.

"Huh?" Haru said, her expression blank. "D., of course."

"No!" Kyoko said, exasperated at how oblivious her friend was. "That was Dino. Dino Cavallone!"

...

What?

Haru blinked. Once. Twice. "D. is actually Dino Cavallone. Really?" When Kyoko did not reply, Haru said, "Are you serious?"

Kyoko nodded.

Unable to believe what Kyoko had told her, Haru immediately took a look at the card that the blonde man had given her. And sure enough, there, right there, printed at the top of the card were the words "Dino Cavallone", followed with his number and address. Still unable to believe what she was seeing, she took a look at the other things that the man had given her. And what she saw made her eyes widen even more. The shirts, the posters, the photo frames... There were pictures of him on all of them! Complete with his signature on them. There was no mistaking it. Blonde hair, hazel eyes, sunny smile... It was him!

"Hahi..." Haru felt faint.

She could not believe it. She had just met the nicest man today, and what did she do? She insulted him.

Biting her bottom lip, she shoved the things that Dino had given her into Kyoko's arms. "Take these, Kyoko! Haru has to do something!" And with that said, she bolted, running towards Dino, who was about to enter the car. There was nothing else to it. She would just have to apologise to him. "WAIT...!"

"Hm?" Dino looked up, surprised.

Once she was directly in front of him, Haru placed her hands on her knees, panting lightly. "I'm sorry."

Dino blinked. "For what?"

"What do you mean for what?" she said incredulously. "Haru insulted you!"

A look of comprehension dawned on him at that. "Ohh..." he said. He chuckled. "So you already found out?"

She nodded, upset. "Haru is sorry! Haru shouldn't have said all of those things."

Dino looked at her, amused. "You don't have to be sorry. You didn't know-"

"Even though Haru didn't know, Haru shouldn't have said those things!" she said, more strongly this time. "Especially since Dino has been very kind to me." Though her last few words were soft, Dino heard them all the same. She lowered her head in shame, tears beginning to brim in her eyes again.

"H-hey..." Dino said, alarmed.

"Uhh... Mr. Cavallone?" Romario said, from the driver's seat, gently reminding Dino about the meeting that he had to go to.

"The reporter can wait," Dino said firmly.

Bringing his attention back to the brown-haired girl before him, he reached out, held the sides of her face and wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "Don't cry," he said gently, in an attempt to calm the girl down. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't cry." When this did not seem to put her at ease, Dino added, "It's alright, really."

"But..."

"No buts." Dino patted her on the head. "I'm late for a meeting now. So let's talk about this again over dinner, alright?"

"But, Dino..."

"We'll talk about it. Over dinner. I promise. Just call me." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"But you don't have my number."

Dino raised an eyebrow. "You have mine, don't you?" he said, perplexed.

"But what if you don't pick up?" Haru crossed her arms across her chest. "Haru has met many boys that gives Haru their number but they never pick up when I call."

Dino couldn't help but to laugh at that.

So Dino had her to write her name and number on his hand. Haru was glad that her bangs helped cover the rosy appearance that her cheeks had suddenly chosen to take on due to the proximity she shared with Cavallone. Once that was done, Dino got into the limousine and waved at her goodbye as Romario drove them away.

Haru could only watch as the car got smaller and smaller until finally, it disappeared from her sight. She sighed, playing with the flower that Dino had just given her. She was going to meet him again. Tomorrow. And she could not wait.

A smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

Maybe Dino Cavallone was not that bad, after all.

* * *

**DIOR:** For the fourth round of the _Dino Pairings Writing Contest_. Pairing and prompt that we received were D86 and "Gifts".


End file.
